State of Play

State of Play (2009)
Directed by Kevin Macdonald. Starring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Afflek, and Helen Mirren.

State of Play was a solid and satisfying thriller. Based on a British miniseries, and bearing hints of All the President's Men, and other political scandal stories, this is a smart film, well in tune with the world we live in. To my delight, it even managed to surprise me at several twists and turns (something that I find happens less and less as I see more and more movies). The cast is as good as it gets... with leading man Russell Crowe proving that he still has that irresistible ability to command the screen and pull audience's along heart and soul through a treacherous story.

The plot is only a mere step removed from reality... in many ways, it could be ripped from the headlines. Cal (Crowe) plays a dying breed of journalist... one who seeps his stories in research and facts, who pounds out copy for a print newspaper on a computer that looks 10 year too old, and who turns up his nose at Rachel McAdams' character, a lowly blogger who doesn't know what real reporting is. When a young woman is killed on the Metro in an apparent suicide, not only does Cal start investigating whether this was in fact murder, but he also becomes wrapped up in the drama of a college friend. It turns out the young woman was the mistress of Senator Collins (Ben Affleck)... and a whole web of intrigue involving a mercenary company with ties in the Middle East. (Like I said, the film takes many cues from the real world).

Despite the connections to the political climate around us, the films is entertaining -- it's not so "real" that it becomes bleak, and it still manages to raise interesting questions about human nature. As the screenwriter of the original miniseries noted, it's a "story about whether or not someone is justified in doing a pretty awful thing, if they themselves are doing great things in other areas of their life." (Source) It's essentially a question of good and evil, and the many, many shades of gray in between.

I recommend this film as one most people probably missed, and one that the average intelligent adult aware of politics and current events will most likely enjoy.